Evolution of cooperation between France and Germany in the field of higher education

Authors

Keywords:

Franco-German cooperation, reconciliation policy, higher education, academic mobility, unification of diplomas

Abstract

For the first time in Russian-language historiography on the basis of an analysis of the most important components of Franco-German cooperation in the field of higher education the evolution of cooperation between higher education institutions of France and Germany in the post-war period is presented. The prerequisites for Franco-German cooperation after the Second World War are determined. The evolution of academic mobility between these countries is considered. The results of activities to create equivalents of documents on higher education in France and Germany are revealed. The Franco-German joint institutions of higher education are characterized. The aim of this work is to consider the evolution of cooperation between France and Germany in the field of higher education in the post-war period of time through the prism of its key aspects. The relevance of this study is due to the lack of research on this issue in Russian-language historiography. In addition, the study of Franco-German relations in the field of science and higher education in the post-war period is also of practical importance, since the experience of this cooperation, or its individual aspects, can be used in the field of higher education and science of our state. As a result of the analysis of key aspects of the Franco-German university cooperation, the following stages were identified in bilateral cooperation. 1. Establishment of Franco-German educational cooperation (1949–1963) – a period of post-war contradictions and the emergence of academic mobility between universities in France and Germany. The intensification of Franco-German cooperation in higher education was due to the unfolding Cold War and the ongoing process of European integration: the cultural sphere acted as a means of overcoming Franco-German antagonism. 2. Franco-German cooperation after the conclusion of the Treaty of Elysee (1963 – the end of the 1970s) – a period of expansion of academic mobility and the creation of new tools for its implementation; at the same time, this period of cooperation was marked by a shift in the attention of the governments of France and Germany towards national education issues. 3. The beginning of the process of institutionalization of Franco-German cooperation (late 1970s – 1993). The transition to the third stage of cooperation is due to the emergence of new trends in bilateral educational partnerships: the creation of coordinating institutes and joint educational institutions and the beginning of solving the problem of equivalence of diplomas. 4. The cooperation of France and Germany after the formation of the EU in 1993 – the Franco-German partnership at the present stage and within the European Higher Education Area. The implementation of the provisions of the Bologna Agreement in practice significantly unified the higher education systems of France and Germany, which facilitated bilateral academic exchanges, and the two countries’ participation in European educational programs became an additional incentive for their intensification.

Author Biography

  • Evgeniya A. Loseva, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliežnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    postgraduate student at the department of modern and contemporary history, faculty of history

References

  1. Defrance C, Pfeil U, éditeurs. La France, l’Allemagne et le traité de l’Élysée 1963–2013. Paris: CNRS Éditions; 2012. 503 p.
  2. Defrance C, Pfeil U. Entre guerre froide et intégration européenne. Reconstruction et rapprochement 1945–1963. Villeneuve d’Ascq: Presses Universitaires du Septentrion; 2012. 350 p. (Histoire franco-allemande; 10).
  3. Baumann A. Education et jeunesse: «Resserrer les liens et approfondir la compréhension mutuelle?». Dans: Defrance C, Pfeil U, éditeurs. La France, l’Allemagne et le traité de l’Élysée 1963–2013. Paris: CNRS Éditions; 2012. p. 215–278.
  4. Baumann A. Die organisierte Zusammenarbeit: die deutsch-französischen Beziehungen am Vorabend des Elysée-Vertrags (1958–1962). Ludwigsburg: Deutsch-Französisches Institut; 2002. 61 S. (dfi compact; 1).
  5. Meyer-Kalkus R. Die akademische Mobilität zwischen Deutschland und Frankreich (1925–1992). Bonn: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst; 1994. 245 S.
  6. Defrance C, Pfeil U. Das Projekte in der deutsch-französischen Hochschule seit 1963. In: Pfeil U, editor. Deutsch-französische Kultur- und Wissenschaftsbeziehungen im 20. Jahrhundert: ein institutionengeschichtlicher Ansatz. München: Oldenbourg; 2007. S. 309–337.
  7. Hörber T. The foundations of Europe: European integration ideas in France, Germany and Britain in the 1950s. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften; 2006. 356 S.
  8. Parisse M. De la communauté latine aux échanges universitaires. Dans: Les échanges universitaires franco-allemands du Moyen Âge au XXe siècle: actes du colloque de Göttingen, Mission historique française en Allemagne, 3–5 novembre 1988. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations; 1991. p. 7–17.
  9. Defrance C. Les échanges universitaires dans le programme d’activités de l’OFAJ. Dans: Bock HM, Defrance C, Krebs G, Pfeil U, éditeurs. Les jeunes dans les relations transnationales. L’office franco-allemand pour la jeunesse 1963–2008. Paris: Presses Sorbonne nouvelle; 2008. p. 389–410.
  10. Aufderheide E. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and its Funding Programs. In: Universitäten in Deutschland = Universities in Germany. München: Prestel; 2015. S. 166–171.
  11. Die Robert Bosch Stiftung und die deutsch-französischen Beziehungen 1973–1995. Stuttgart: Robert Bosch Stiftung; 1996. 97 S.
  12. Dzwonnek D. The German Reaserch Foundation: profile, goals and responsibilities. In: Universitäten in Deutschland = Universities in Germany. München: Prestel; 2015. S. 268–273.
  13. Die deutsch-französischen Beziehungen: Chronologie und Dokumente = Les relations franco-allemandes: chronologie et dokuments. 1948–1999. Bonn: Europa Union Verlag; 2000. 199 S.
  14. Friedberg E, Musselin C. En quête d’universités: etude comparée des universités en France et en RFA. Paris: L’Harmattan; 1989. 219 p.
  15. Baumann A. Entre valeurs communes, tradition d’échanges et différences irréductibles: la coopération culturelle franco-allemande depuis les années 1960. Dans: 50 ans de relations franco-allemandes. Paris: Nouveau Monde Éditions; 2013. p. 173–198.
  16. Baumann A. Begegnung der Völker? Der Elysée-Vertrag und die Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Deutsch-französische Kulturpolitik von 1963 bis 1969. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang; 2003. 342 S. (Modern Geschichte und Politic; 18).

Downloads

Published

2020-01-28

Issue

No. 1 (2020): Journal of the Belarusian State University. History

Section

World History

License

The authors who are published in this journal agree to the following:

  1. The authors retain copyright on the work and provide the journal with the right of first publication of the work on condition of license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial. 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
  2. The authors retain the right to enter into certain contractual agreements relating to the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g. post it on the institutional repository, publication in the book), with the reference to its original publication in this journal.
  3. The authors have the right to post their work on the Internet (e.g. on the institutional store or personal website) prior to and during the review process, conducted by the journal, as this may lead to a productive discussion and a large number of references to this work. (See The Effect of Open Access.)

How to Cite

[1]
Loseva, .E.A. 2020. Evolution of cooperation between France and Germany in the field of higher education. Journal of the Belarusian State University. History. 1 (Jan. 2020), 69–77. DOI:https://doi.org/10.33581/2520-6338-2020-1-69-77.